Yi Ci and Zhong Ziang face off, each refusing to give an inch.
When one grabs the ball, the other fights to snatch it back; when one goes to score, the other leaps to knock it away. Sometimes, to keep the other from taking the ball, they simply pass it to Jiang Fuyue.
When she takes a shot, they stand by and watch, not blocking or defending, blatantly letting her score. If she makes it, they clap enthusiastically.
Jiang Fuyue, feeling exasperated after effortlessly scoring three-pointers five times in a row and receiving applause each time, frowns, grabs her jacket, and turns to leave. “I’m done playing.”
Yi Ci and Zhong Ziang exchange glances, glaring at each other: This is all your fault!
Then they race after her.
Yi Ci: “Come on, wasn’t this fun?”
Zhong Ziang nods, suddenly on the same side.
Jiang Fuyue says coolly, “You two were having fun. Not me. Keep at it—I won’t third-wheel you guys anymore.”
“I wasn’t enjoying it with him!”
“No way I’d have fun with him!”
She looks at them calmly, confirming: they’re quite the matched pair.
Finally, she left.
Yi Ci and Zhong Ziang watch her go until she disappears from view, then immediately start fighting again.
“D*mmit! I’m not letting you off this time!” Zhong Ziang said, rolling up his sleeves.
Yi Ci smirked, “We’ll see who beats who!”
As the sun set in the west, two strikingly handsome young men clashed—first with fists and kicks, then escalating into an intense basketball battle. In the end, they both collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
“L-Let’s take a break, I’m out of energy.”
“Y-You… If you’ve got guts, don’t rest… Keep going… Who’s afraid of who…”
Yi Ci smirked. “You’re even worse than me. You can’t even speak properly, and you’re still acting tough?”
“Bullsh*t—my speech is p-perfectly clear!”
“Zhong Ziang, if you keep running your mouth, believe it or not, I’ll—”
“What?!” Zhong Ziang’s proud chin lifted instantly, his peacock-like arrogance flaring up.
Yi Ci gritted his teeth. “I’ll freaking wreck you!”
In the blink of an eye, they were at it again.
No one knew how long they fought, but by the time they finally stopped, the sun had completely set, and the sky was growing dark.
Yi Ci grabbed his jacket, slung his backpack over one shoulder, and tucked his basketball under his arm before striding away.
Zhong Ziang lay sprawled on the ground, drenched in sweat and gasping for air like a dying ox. But he still refused to admit defeat. “S-Stop right there… We’re not done yet…”
Too bad his voice came out as barely more than a whisper, weak as h*ll.
Yi Ci didn’t even look back.
“D*mn it—” Zhong Ziang felt utterly defeated.
Meanwhile, Yi Ci dragged his exhausted legs toward the school gates, his sweat still clinging to his skin, body radiating heat, heart pounding.
A sleek black Mercedes pulled up in front of him. The rear window rolled down, revealing Yi Hansheng’s amused face.
“You little punk, got into another fight?” His lips curled into a smirk, looking completely unbothered.
“…”
“Did you win?”
“…”
Yi Ci couldn’t be bothered to answer. He just yanked open the car door and slid inside. “Hey, old man, move over a bit.”
“Say that again? You wanna walk home?” Yi Hansheng’s face darkened.
Who said only women cared about age? Men did too.
Yi Ci decided not to poke the tiger any further.
Only then did Yi Hansheng shift over, making room for him.
“Drive,” he instructed the chauffeur.
“Wait…” Yi Ci twisted open a bottle of water, gulped down two big mouthfuls, then suddenly remembered something. “Hey, Old Huang, swing by the back gate of the school.”
Yi Hansheng raised an eyebrow. “What for?”
“I’m hungry. Gonna grab a jianbing.”
“There’s food everywhere. Why go through the trouble?”
“I just want that one.”
“Fine, fine.” Yi Hansheng sighed, looking like he had no choice. “Old Huang, take the back gate.”
“Yes, sir,” the driver responded.
Yi Ci finally looked satisfied, a subtle sense of contentment showing in his eyes.
Yi Hansheng glanced at him and said coolly, “Looks like you won this fight.”
Then, with a mocking smirk, he added, “Can’t win in academics, but you’re number one at brawling. My dear son, you must be so proud.”
“Thanks for the compliment. All credit goes to you.”
Yi Hansheng: “?” What does this have to do with me?
Yi Ci grinned. “Thanks for making me so good at fighting. What’s that saying again? ‘A rat’s son will know how to dig holes’? No need to be too proud, though.”
“?” The h*ll? Proud, my *ss!
Soon, the black Mercedes passed through the school’s back gate and turned onto a street, heading deeper in.
Old Huang, the driver, asked, “Is it this one?”
Yi Ci glanced out the window. “About two hundred meters ahead.”
“Oh, got it.”
A moment later—“Young Master, is it Jiang Ji Pancakes?”
“Yeah. Park here and wait for me. There’s a crowd, so I’ll probably have to line up.”
“Alright.”
Yi Ci pushed open the door and jogged across the street, swallowing his saliva as he ran.
Yi Hansheng muttered, “Is he that desperate for it?”
As he waited, he started observing the surroundings.
Come to think of it, he didn’t pick Yi Ci up from school all that often. Today was an exception—he had just finished a meeting when Old Huang called, saying Zhong Ziang was still missing even after school had ended. That’s why he came personally.
That made him reflect—was he spending too little time with his son?
Hmm. Something to work on.
He turned to look at the shop across the street.
That brat was actually waiting in line like a good kid. Not bad. He looks kinda cute when he’s not acting all feral…
But then—his eyes suddenly froze, and his smile stiffened.
He stared at the shop’s signboard in shock.
The large characters read—“Jiang Ji Pancake”…
Let’s do a fun quiz!
Why is Boss Yi so shocked?
A. The name Jiang Ji seems oddly familiar.
B. The person selling the pancake might be someone he knows.
C. The taste of the pancake is strangely familiar.
D. He’s just mesmerized by the sign’s lettering.
